Mea Culpa
by Takara Yamato
Summary: Post-Brotherhood. Military cadets went missing right on the spot after opening books containing an unidentified transmutation circle...and so Captain Breda was sent to investigate. Pls read n review asap.
1. Volume 1

**Chapter 1: A New Leaf**

General Roy Mustang took a small sip from the cup of tea on his desk and continued his conversation. "Former Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda". Brigadier General Rylance flipped through his dossier in the folder to read about the man while he was talking. "First in his class in strategy. Unfortunately the last in his class when it comes to physical fitness", he laughed. "He's a pretty good shot with a gun, but excellent when it comes to deduction and reasoning. And if you still remember, he was among the best students the Academy ever had". The brigadier general had his doubts; if this so-called former second lieutenant was a 4-flat student, then why did he leave the army after only a few years of service? "He resigned to join the rebellion against the late King Bradley, so now I'm asking from his behalf to ask for a job in the Military Academy", Mustang interrupted the Brigadier General's thoughts, already guessing the doubts from that wrinkles on his forehead, "Besides, he prefers to retire from the field and just sit under the roof. And I trust that you already know the real reason behind his resignation".

Rylance asked for a refill for his tea and said, "I am fully aware that his resignation saved his fat head from being shot. Otherwise he would be guilty of treason for leaving the battlefield. Why didn't he join you instead? And why this academy? Tell me, Mustang. Besides, if I were him, I would gladly join you back after the rebellion that you've caused. Help me become democratic here, just like this fresh, new country you and President Grumman had made. He could have a rank promotion if he wanted to". Mustang scowled at this sarcastic remark on his former subordinate, but he knew better not to burn this arrogant brat down if he were to ask for help. Rylance knew that the few seconds-silences Mustang gave had defeated his psychological attack, so he decided to agree." Very well then", he said with a chuckle, "Tell Breda that he can start teaching tomorrow. But first, he must come to my office to introduce himself".

Dazzled by the blaze of the unusually hot morning sun, Heymans Breda narrowed his eyes to look around at the concrete jungles of Amestrisian Military Academy, the place where he had graduated years ago. The cool wind carried the scent of freshly-mowed grass, sweetened by the roses which had been planted along the paved roads. Slowly he passed by the rectory building and walked towards the Department of Human Sciences. He was no longer shaking from the interview by that pompous rector, but a new surge of fear gripped his mind. He was not only there because of his new job; he was there to go back on track as a part of Mustang's team, working in discreet as a spy. He is Captain Breda now, promoted after the coup de tat, or the Mustang Rebellion, as the media now called it. Earlier that morning, General Mustang gave him a file containing an unsolved case regarding a recent disappearance of students in the academy. A small transmutation circle was found on every last known location of each student, but not a single evidence lead the case to human transmutation. Breda sighed; it was not the case that he was worried about. It was his future students.

**Chapter 2: First Class**

Breda wiped his nosebleed upon entering the lecture hall. "Thank the god!" his heart screamed as he eyed his personal heaven of angels in blue. Nearly all of them were girls, the cause of his nosebleed, and some of them proudly wore their foreign faces of exquisite beauty. They gave him a salute while he put his papers on the desk, and he silently thanked General Mustang for such rare opportunity. "Alright, people. Good morning and welcome back to the academy. I am Captain Heymans Breda, and I'll be replacing Colonel Hubbard this semester in Creative Thinking as well as Strategy Planning. Our Colonel has decided to retire, and I hope that all of you will give full cooperation to me. Understand?", "Yes, sir".

Breda gave his students a few minutes break after a half an hour of ice-breaking, and resumed his place on the leather chair. Not bad for a first timer, he said to himself. Still, he couldn't forget the voice of the young cadet sitting next to the first row's window. "Cadet Kimayra, sir!", she told her name during the ice-breaking session. He started to wonder what kind of a family who dared to have its surname sounded like a fearsome creature. She was looking at the scenery outside, having nothing to do as this was just the first day of the semester. He had always liked women with wavy hair, and Kimayra's dark brown waves were no exception to his eyes. It is a pity, he said to himself, if only she's slimmer, she would have joined the rest of those angels over there. He wondered if she has descendants from Xing because of her Asian eyes, and her name…

He immediately flipped open the brown file on his table and looked at the pictures of the missing students and their last known location. Could it be that this was not a human transmutation at work, but an attempt to create a chimera? The pictures of each location surely had not displayed the tell-tale remains of dead homunculi, but the design of the transmutation circle was unheard of. Yet Breda couldn't comprehend the possibility of students being transmuted into chimeras in public. According to the reports, the students simply vanished on the spot right after they found the circle drawn on a piece of paper hidden between the pages of their books. Interestingly enough, all of the missing cadets were recorded, or at least identified among their respective departments, as delinquents. "Not a prank, I hope. Time to visit the doctor", he muttered to himself.

**Chapter 3: Cold Revelation**

"Who did your boss think I am? A forensic scientist? I don't give a damn if he's the Vice Fuhrer, but find someone who actually does this kind of stuff. How many times do I have to tell him I'm a surgeon, for goodness' sake?!" Knox fumed after being asked about the identities of the skeletal remains. Breda gave a smirk; surely Dr. Knox knew why he had been chosen by the General. "Fine. Here's the report. Apparently those were the remains of a male and a female, and their teeth samples match the dental records of two state alchemists missing since 1890. Their identities are in those papers, so good luck to you. And tell him not to misuse my profession, you got that? This is my last warning". Breda thanked Dr. Knox and went out of the hospital lab.

"State alchemist and his wife, huh? Why didn't the academy make any announcement on them?" Mustang asked.

"Sir, if we look into the report, those missing people were known for their experiments on chimera. Remember the ones that you fought with Barry the Chopper few years ago? That could be some of their works with Bradley, sir, and their disappearance just simply wiped out the fact that such experiments existed. There. Mystery solved".

Whatever stuffs that Breda spoke out made sense to him, but Mustang was not satisfied. He was sure he had heard about these husband-wife alchemists before. Mustang only wished to clear what's left of Bradley's legacy, and he did not like the idea of having chimeras attacking civilians after a regroup or being used as pawns by some crazy people. It would be better if he could find a cure for them or at least recruit them into an elite unit. That is, IF the disappearance had anything to do with turning students into some kind of parahuman hybrid.

"Capt. Breda, I want you to find out with whom they worked for. If this bastard is still alive, we could possible retrieve those missing cadets." Having received his order, Breda rose from the chair and saluted his superior. As he walked out of Mustang's office, he could see the General gave a sad momentary look at Capt. Hawkeye, his personal assistant, while she gave a soft rub on his back. Maybe the General is having a bad day today, Breda thought. He and the rest of Mustang's subordinates knew that those two lovebirds couldn't get married, and it was all because of their duties. Any soldier would know better that the military does not allow marriage between a superior officer and his subordinate within the same team for the fear that the soldier would bring his marital problems to his workplace; should the General wished to get married, Capt. Hawkeye would have to be posted elsewhere, hence a loss for Mustang since there would be no person trustworthy enough for him to watch his back. And of course, there would be no one to watch over his demeanors and private matters. Breda sighed. This is none of his business. He was worried that Mustang and Hawkeye would remain single until their retirement, but he was even more worried when he remembered his mother's recent letter asking him to bring home a bride. "Tch! I don't have time to think about this", he scolded himself.

It was a cold, autumn evening, and Breda drove out of Central Office's gate in a hurry. He had skipped his lunch today to see Dr. Knox, and now his stomach growled as a protest for the absence of its 'fuel'. Still, he cannot blame General Mustang for the delay of his dinner. A job is still a job, and that's what made him a man. He parked his car in front of Christmas' Bar & Inn and went inside; his stomach would be more than happy if it received a glass of scotch accompanied by lamb stew served with bread to dunk in. it was Madame Christmas herself who took the order from him, much to his surprise. He was expecting Vanessa or any of these barmaids to come up so that he could take a peek on their melons. And as she left his table, he found a note under his copy of order: 'Meet me at room 1.3 after your dinner.' Breda groaned. Christmas' Bar & Inn was the all-time favorite hangout for Central officers (including President Grumman), and the idea of spending a night with Madame Christmas was like asking for General Mustang to burn him to ashes if any of the officers present spread a rumor about him sleeping with the General's aunt tomorrow morning. Still, he mused himself with the idea of free-of-charge food and a bed service. It would be worth the rumor if it ever happened, he said to himself.

Much to his surprise all that waited for him at Room 1.3 was not a frisky Madame Christmas; she was there, but with a file on the bedside table. "My 'son' wanted you to have this", she said, "Apparently the boss you're searching for is still alive, so you might want to pay him a visit". When Breda flipped the file open, he found a paper from Immigration Department, declaring that the James Benson, also known as the 'Wolf Alchemist' for his love of experiments on wolves, had married Serena Chong, an uncertified alchemist from Xing, thus granting her citizenship. The next paper contained their employment records. He ran through the details…birth date, birth place, eye color, everything that could help him search for the person in question. He found nothing except for the fact that the couple's last jobs were as assistant researchers at the military academy for the past 7 years, and surprisingly no police report was recorded on their disappearance.

The homework can wait, he assured himself.

"Maybe I could take Vanessa or any of your girls as a bride back home when I'm finished with this case. I'm tired of my mom nagging me for being a bachelor", he joked, giving Madame Christmas the widest grin he had ever gave in front of a lady. She gave him a smirk in return and said, "Don't let me hit you on your way out, Captain. Jealousy kills".


	2. Volume 2

**Note: I would like to inform that I would alternately switch the characters' POV on each chapter. And…this might be confusing but I forgot to mention where the hell Breda found out about the skeletal remains, so here's the answer to that. I'm still struggling to write as best as I could (and juggling between writing this with my studies and my relationship) so if there are any flaws (especially in my arrangement of plot, choice of words and style of writing), pls don't hesitate to point it out. You're also welcome to give out ideas on how to develop this story further. And…the final exam is coming soon so…wish me luck!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way and mean, own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of Hiromu Arakawa's characters. This is purely a fanfiction.**

**Chapter 4: Traces of Claws **

Sandra Hallows watched from the window of her office as the cadet vanished slowly into thin air. This was her 5th victim throughout that month, and she had to transmute several more to sate the rector's greed. Satisfied with the result of her part-time job, she resumed her seat and started to look busy. The secretary knew she would be expecting some visitors soon, who would scream and wail as the witnesses run into the office to report to her about the incomprehensible incident.

"You did a good job today".

She felt a soft rub on her shoulder. A part of her wanted to run before it is too late, but her legs numbed out of fear and obedience towards the rector. Sandra faked a smile, and handed him several files as a temporary distraction. Still, it wasn't enough. The hand started to slide forward, groping and fondling her breasts as her neck started to sweat from the molester's hot breath. She didn't want to respond, but her erected nipples betrayed her conscience. General Rylance pushed himself closer, turning the chair towards him to get a better view of her body. He allowed his cigar-flavoured tongue to run down her ear and neck as she pleaded for mercy. She needed to be punished, he thought. This morning some idiot found the remains of the Bensons near the academy's dumpsite, and he was fully aware of who was responsible for that. She didn't mince them, he grumbled.

"Who's fault do you think it is?"

"W-what do you mean?"

He pinched her nipples harder. "That is not the right answer", he replied, "The military police found out about the Bensons last week. Whose fault it is?"

She didn't reply. He pinched harder.

"I said, whose fault is it?"

"M-mine!"

"Clever girl. I told you to mince them, not to bury them". He shoved his cock into her mouth, thrusting deeper and deeper as he watched her bulging eyes went teary. Sandra could not respond, and she knew better to let the lewd old man to explore every hole she had than to end up being a sacrifice for him to get a truckload of 'free' Truth like the rest of her victims. The cock in her mouth started to move slower than before, as if it was trying to remind her to suck, but Rylance took it out before deciding to give her cunt a try. "Get up", he said.

Blinking away the tears in her eyes as she stood, she looked down to see that Rylance had ripped her shirt from her body, leaving her breasts exposed. Goosebumps pebbled on her flesh as a chill from more than just the cool air sank into her.

"Sir," she began shakily, trying to reason with him. "Sir, this is not in our contract."

He ignored her, pushing her bra upwards to see the breasts jiggle for his entertainment.

"General, please!" She was desperate now, and tears were streaming down her face. Her hands struggled to cover her semi-nakedness but the old man pushed her shoulders down, forcefully laying her on her messy table before pulling her pants down.

"This IS part of the contract," he said calmly. "YOUR job is to serve me not only inside the lab or the office, but to serve me personally. You want to see the Truth, too, do you? I can give you all the Truth in the world for me if you could just obey my words, but you didn't. When I said mince, I didn't mean bury. You're lucky I didn't give your name to them last week, otherwise you would've been in jail right now. You should be grateful, bitch".

She watched in helpless horror as he freed his cock from his trousers and pressed it against her entrance. His cold, black eyes boring into hers, he drove into her in one merciless thrust. She felt a painful ripping as he tore through her hymen. His grunt of pleasure was drowned by her scream. He thrust into her harder, and she could feel the warmth of her blood as it ran down her thighs. Just as her eyes began to shut out of pain and disbelief, she heard him cry out in satisfaction. That's it, she thought. She was defiled, dirty, unholy, and there was nothing she could do to retrieve her virginity. She could only pray to God that she would not get pregnant. Her hot tears ran down her cheeks as his semen dripped down, and the old man even had the nerve to wipe her private as if he wanted to cover up his trace.

Knock-knock-knock! Knock-knock!

The students, he grumbled. "Meet me at the lab after this", he reminded her as he placed his flaccid penis back into its prison.


	3. Volume 3

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any ways, own Fullmetal Alchemist or any other character created by Hiromu Arakawa.**

**Note: My insomnia has returned. (-_-). I always got infected and affected with it every time final exam gets near (in this case, in 2 weeks time), and it won't stop until a week after the last exam ended. At least I could finish this story. -sigh-**

**Chapter 5: Not the Right Time**

Sandra let her clothes soak under the cold autumn rain as she walked towards Christmas' Bar & Inn. The feeling of ice-cold droplets touching her face consoled her from memories of the rape earlier that afternoon, and the bad weather reminded her of her own self – unprotected, unwanted, impure. Just a few hours ago she had helped Rylance sacrificed a bunch of students she 'collected' throughout the month. It is not fair, she thought. She did all the dirty works for him, and she even went so far by wiping the Bensons of their existence when they found out about the purpose of her custom-made transmutation circle. And yet he acted like a pure glutton, absorbing all the Truth he can get only for himself every time they opened the Gate. And now he wanted her to be his sex slave. The Bensons, she whispered to herself, recollecting the images of her late colleagues in her head. She buried them on purpose. She may have defiled her hands with murder, but she still had her sense of honour and humanity. At least she saved their bodies from the meat-grinder.

She chose a small table near the dim lit corner of the bar, trying her hard to conceal her existence in that crowded place. People used to go there to socialize, but she chose to be alone. She just needed a mental vacation once in a while, away from everyone who knew her. A moment later a barmaid came towards her with a glass of water and a plate of stew. "I didn't order this", Sandra said, but the barmaid nudged her head towards a red-headed man standing casually near the counter. "He put it on his tab", the barmaid replied and left.

"Captain Breda", she muttered his name under her soft breath. She knew him somehow, although they were not so close. About a fortnight ago he came into the office with the Vice Fuhrer himself to apply for a post as the academy's junior lecturer. She had no idea as to how he was affiliated with General Mustang, but his resume stated that the red-headed butterball was a veteran of the Mustang Rebellion and was in fact one of the best-achieving alumni of the academy itself.

"We met once, in the office, remember?", Breda pulled a chair towards her, "You don't mind?"

"No...Not at all. Thanks for the treat, Captain...Breda, am I right?".

"Just call me Heymans. You should try the stew. It's legendary around these parts. By the way, you're General Rylance's secretary, right?"

"Y-yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Cassandra Hallows. Sandra for short. Is there anything I can help?"

"Nothing...I just wanted to know you better. I happened to see you here, so I thought I could get to know you".

"So it's not about your salary, then?"

Breda laughed. She had a sense of humour, despite the seriousness in her tone. He wanted to question her about Rylance's connection with the Bensons', but he didn't want to spoil his chance. "Why don't you kill two birds with one stone?" he tempted himself. He looked at her puzzled face with interest. She was not that bad, despite being a little plump, and her drenched shirt gave way for her body contour to reveal itself to his hungry eyes. But he had to stay focused.

"Ms. Hallows, there's something I need to ask you. Do you know anything about the Bensons? The whole academy won't stop talking about their murder this whole week. I mean, who are they, really?"

He went straight to the point. He didn't notice her face went pale under the dim light, but he instinctively felt something not right about the brunette. The stew was getting cold, he noticed, and so was the secretary. She paused for a moment to search for a suitable answer. Her body shivered, he knew, but he took it as an after-effect she felt from the rain outside.

"The Bensons? Oh...I heard about them. Poor souls. They were my colleagues. Both were lecturers like you, although the husband worked at the R&D department. His wife was at the Human Sciences. Why?"

"Nothing. It's just disturbing, you see, when you heard everybody talking about something trivial and you're the only one who knows nothing about it".

"I see".

"You're ignoring the stew. Don't you want to try it?".

She nodded, and took a long gulp from the glass. He could sense fear from the way she drank, but he was not sure why...until he felt a pat on his back. It was General Rylance.

**Chapter 6: Going Under**

"What do you think, General?"

Captain Heymans Breda tapped his fingers at the counter. He was not at all annoyed, but the rector's presence interfered his brief date with the secretary. Shaking off his thoughts on her body outline, he immediately spooned over the reheated stew to his mouth. It was the same stew from before, but he didn't give a damn about it. Wasting good food was a sacrilege of nature for him, so he volunteered to finish it up after she left the place with General Rylance. The only thing they didn't know was that the Vice Fuhrer was watching their movements from the beginning.

"If I were you, Roy boy, I would think that she got blackmailed", Madame Christmas said, blowing a puff from her half-burnt cigarette, "The secretary knew something about the Bensons, but she won't spill it out because that bastard showed up". Mustang nodded approvingly at her thoughts. The bar was usually noisy even after it was shut, but that rainy night brought silence to it. Roy continued to mop the floor in an unusual trance. He was deep in his thoughts – or rather- his frustration.

"Sir?"

"Oh? Sorry, Heymans. What did you say?"

"Cat got your tongue, boy? What is wrong with you? Riza kicked you out again?". He sighed at his paternal aunt's question. So it was true then, she mused. The sniper's pregnancy had gotten her cranky lately, and sometimes a slip of the tongue can cause him his life –or in this case- his house. Suddenly they heard a loud whack; it was Captain Hawkeye at the door, who had successfully hit the General's head with a glass she picked on one of the tables. "Let's proceed with the answer, shall we?" Hawkeye gave a smile so evil that everybody stood up, giving her salute as if she was the General and scrambled to set up the place. Even Vanessa and the girls obeyed her as if she was the evil Queen of the lore. They abandoned Mustang, bleeding unconsciously on the floor, to gain consciousness on his own. Only her aunt-in-law maintained her place at the counter, still smirking as she blew one puff of smoke after another.

"Go on, Madame", Hawkeye interrupted the scene. "You had a point there about the blackmail. Can you make her talk, Breda?".

"The only way is to get her away from Rylance. But I don't think I could do that without getting her killed, that is, if she really is blackmailed. I'm not even sure if she's still alive by now".

"What did she say?"

"Nothing much. She just mentioned which department they were posted, that's all. The guy was at R&D, and the wife was at my department. I need to sneak in at R&D tomorrow. Who knows someone over there kept a record on all his researches".

"Don't waste your time, hedgehog. I got a better idea", Christmas shoved something into his coat's pocket. Breda wanted to find out, but the bar owner shook her head. "Take them out only when you're sure both of you are alone. Take her to a hotel. I don't think Rylance would follow her there. He's a regular here. If things get to worse, get back here with the girl and I'll find a way to hide you both".

Later that night, Breda fingered the items in his coat as he laid it down carefully on his bed. He took them out of the pocket, completely ignoring Christmas' advice, and moved his hand towards the only source of light around him: his bedside lamp. The items WERE beyond expectation; he was holding a condom and a vial of unknown pills. "I gotta call that bitch", he grumbled as he reached the phone.


End file.
